


The Five Times Seifer Helped Zell Out of an Awkward Situation (And the One Time He Didn't)

by skittles4zell



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: 5+1 Things, M/M, Mild Language, Post-Canon, Post-Slash, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, awkward teenagers crushing on each other without knowing they're crushing on each other, one (almost) handjob, seifer knows best, zell is awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 04:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4507173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittles4zell/pseuds/skittles4zell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill for elliemars who requested teenage Seifer and teenage Zell in awkward situations. </p>
<p>Basically, Zell is a klutz and gets himself into situations he shouldn't be in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Five Times Seifer Helped Zell Out of an Awkward Situation (And the One Time He Didn't)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elliemars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliemars/gifts).



1\. 

At thirteen, Zell has only been in Garden for a few months, and his body is still stubbornly holding onto some of the baby fat from his younger years. He's taken up an intense running routine and does stomach crunches until he's ready to pass out. Later, when he's older, he'll realize eating a steady supply of hotdogs and fries from the cafeteria isn't necessarily helpful. Counteractive, even.

But for now, said baby fat is helping to hold him captive, upside down, dangling from the ceiling by a newly installed booby trap in Garden's Training Center. He knows better than to wiggle; that will only make his situation worse. Instead, he's nearly exhausted himself in his attempts to reach up and untangle a robust vine from his left ankle. 

"Do I even want to know how this happened?" 

At first, Zell is grateful someone has finally stumbled upon him. He's lost track of time, but even at thirteen, he recognizes the pressure in his head as blood crowds his skull. Then it clicks whose voice that is. "Oi, Seifer!" He's managed to avoid Seifer for the most part since his arrival, having heard from one too many students how cut-throat the older boy is. But of course he's the one to find him now, strung upside down. Zell manages to shift his weight to turn himself so he's facing him.

Seifer is a year older, but his height would have some people believe otherwise. He circles Zell, peering up to access the situation. "Did you see the bright yellow sign at the TC entrance? The one about booby traps?" Seifer gives him his recently adopted 'you're such a dumbass' look.

Zell huffs and tries to look anywhere but at Seifer. "And I got the notice on my student panel."

"So, go on. Tell me how it happened." He circles once more, taking more pleasure in this than he should. Hyperion rests on his shoulder; it wouldn't take much to reach her up and slice the offending vine.

Zell doesn't want to explain himself. He simply wants down. The overwhelming smell of the surrounding vegetation is beginning to make him nauseous. Not to mention his clothes are covered with Grat spit. He'd been able to scare off the bastard before he could play pinata with Zell, but that hadn't stopped him from spewing an offensive green and yellow juice on him before scrambling off in a tizzy.

"Well...?" Seifer is in front of him again. 

_Close enough to punch_ , Zell thinks to himself. But as he is Zell's only sign of immediate help, he decides against instinct. "Just get me down."

Seifer laughs, longer than necessary. "Why not reach and untangle yourself?"

Zell's cheeks flush, despite his already red face. "I tried," he says quietly, ashamed. Not only is his midsection sore, but his movements had allowed the vine to rub his ankle raw. 

Seifer hums, amusement apparent on his face. "Need to work out more than just your arms, Dincht."

"Yeah." Zell doesn't bother telling him about the crunches or the pull ups he's been religious about. Instead, his irritation grows. "You gonna help me down or not?"

Seifer considers the question thoroughly and makes yet another circle around the dangling cadet. "Or I could leave and let a T-Rexaur nibble you down."

"Seifer!" Zell is wiggling with anger, regardless of his previous acknowledgement that it's more hurtful than helpful.

"What's the magic word?"

"Don't do this, man!"

"I've got all night." He pokes at Zell's damp shirt with Hyperion. Amusement aside, he can't help but notice Zell's exposed skin as gravity tugs on his clothes. If he were a lesser boy, he'd cut Zell's apparel off and snap some incriminating photos.

Zell groans and rubs his face. "Just let me down, asshole."

"Language! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Seifer feigns modesty, clicking his tongue. "Magic word?"

A silence passes, crickets and monsters seeming to wait with bated breath to see if the young Zell Dincht will swallow his pride for two seconds to gain his freedom.

"Before you do it, we need a plan," Zell says finally. "Can't just cut me down and let me fall on my face."

"Why not?" Seifer grins.

"Ughhhh!" Zell wishes he were already certified in magic; a fire spell would be more than helpful against the vine.

"Okay, okay. Drama queen. I cut, you wiggle, and you land on your feet. Yeah?"

Zell gapes at being called a drama queen, but he isn't exactly in any position to raise a fuss. He considers his weight distribution and the moves he'll have to manage to land steadily on his feet. "Okay. Count from three."

Seifer rolls his eyes. "Three... Two... One." At one, he reaches up and knicks the vine with Hyperion's blade.

Zell falls not so gracefully on his ass. "You bastard!" He wastes no time in leaping to his feet and grappling for Seifer. "Playing games while I just hang there!"

"Whoa. Slow down." He shoves Zell away.

The effects of being upside down for so long hit Zell with a crash, and he passes out right as a garden faculty member appears in a bustle of robes.

~

2.

At fourteen, Zell is obsessed with T-boards. The look of them, the sound they make, the way his feels under his feet. He zooms around Garden's halls with practiced ease, despite them being against regulation. Something about students' safety. He realizes all too late that the academy's staff might be onto something.

Right as he had attempted to divert his T-board from Garden's indoor fountain, something malfunctioned in the built-in technology of the board, and it sent him straight into fountain. Right smack dab into one of the drains lining the inner wall, as a matter of fact. His left foot is now firmly lodged in the abnormally large drain. 

_Huh. Must've hit it so hard I knocked the grate off_.

"What are you doing?"

Zell's face flares red and hot, even though the water currently surrounding him is frigidly cold. "Just... Help me?" Thankfully, his T-board has floated farther down the fountain, away from the scene of the accident. Good thing. Mr. High and Mighty DC leader would probably confiscate it. 

"I don't recall you saying 'please' or 'thank you' the last time I got you out of an accident." Seifer takes a seat on the bench in front of the water, resting one ankle across his opposite knee. Could be here awhile. Might as well get comfortable.

A year after the vine incident, and the jerk is holding onto Zell's lack of manners. "Look, man. All you have to do is help me wiggle my foot out." He pauses, unsure of how that will even work. Seifer definitely won't climb in with him, much less hold him up while he shifts his foot free. "Unless you know how to turn off the suction."

Seifer turns and gives Zell a look. "Xu would kill me."

Zell's face perks. "So you know how to?" There's no immediate reply from Seifer, and Zell stares at the back of Seifer's blonde head while he worriedly nibbles his bottom lip. "Almasy?"

"Shut up. I'm thinking."

Zell's nervous stare turns into a glare. _Someone should teach him some manners_. "What's there to think about?" 

"If I should help you at all." He picks at imaginary fuzzies on his trousers. "Look. One of those funny robe guys is coming."

"Seifer!" Zell hisses. "If he sees me, I'll be in trouble!" He looks around frantically, trying to determin a way to hide.

"I'm giving you a detention regardless," Seifer replies and keeps his eyes on the approaching figure.

"Ugh!"

"Getting closer."

A giant decorative stone fish stares blankly at the debacle as Zell twists his ankle and throws himself flat onto the bottom of the shallow fountain with a mild splash, landing on his back.

The smirk Seifer has had turns into an innocent smile right as the staff member bustles by. He stands and stretches before leaning over the edge to peer down at Zell. He laughs at Zell's appearance, cheeks puffed as he holds his breath, making him look not too different than the surrounding decorations. Seifer shrugs from his trenchcoat to save it from getting wet. Reaching an arm in, he tugs at Zell's hand to bring him above water. "He's gone, loser."

Zell takes a deep breath with a shiver. "So can you help?"

"Just untie your shoe and let it stay stuck in the drain."

Zell gapes in horror. "And let the drain eat my shoe?! These are my favorite!"

Seifer doesn't know whether to roll his eyes or facepalm to hide from Zell's stupidity. "No, genius. The drain won't take your shoe. Just untie it, pull your foot out, and you'll be able to balance better to pull it free."

Zell's face remains blank. "It won't suck it away?"

"No. The suction isn't _that_ strong. It's just stuck." Seifer waits for Zell's lightbulb to click on with enlightement. It finally does.

"Oh! Okay!" He absently wipes his wet bangs from his eyes. "Hold me up."

"Excuse me?" 

"It's slippery. I'll fall."

Seifer tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling, praying for patience. He really had to stop helping this kid out. "Moron."

"Hey!" Zell frowns.

"Fine."

Zell bends at his hips to begin untying his shoe, unknowingly giving Seifer a rather nice view of his ass. His shorts are wet and clinging to him, enticing Seifer even more. At fifteen years old, Seifer Almasy realizes he might like boys.

"Okay. Untied!" Zell announces and straightens back to his full height. "Hold my arm."

Seifer ignores his sudden onslaught of horomones and holds onto Zell's bicep from his place on dry land, balancing his weight with his other hand on the ledge of the fountain.

"Ow! Not too tight!"

"Just shut up and get this over with before Robes comes back." Seifer's jaw clenches with his impatience and growing sexual frustration.

"Of all the freakin' people..." Zell is muttering to himself as he begins wiggling. His tongue pokes between his lips in deep concentration.

"C'mon. Just like taking your shoes off."

"It's hard!" Zell whines. "The drain is pulling one way, and I'm pulling the other."

Seifer swears if he hadn't just realized how attractive this idiot is, he'd be walking away in a heartbeat.

Zell finally manages to pull his foot free with an exclamation of "Aha!" Again, he bends forward, this time with the advantage of a better angle. He begins to wrestle one-on-one against the fountain drain.

Seifer swallows and tries not to stare. He really needs to get away from here. "You have it from here?"

Zell doesn't bother fixing his posture and simply looks at Seifer over his shoulder. "Yeah. Thanks, man." 

Seifer retrieves his coat from the bench and manages to get away before Zell's ass can tease him further.

~

3.

At fifteen, Zell is experimenting with his attraction to girls. He'd noticed them before; they were all over the place. But now, maybe they might not be so bad or scary. He thinks the dark-haired girl in the library is pretty, and he's curious about her. He hangs around the library and talks to her and eventually offers to help with spring cleaning. He didn't know spring cleaning entailed removing the baseboards of the ginormous bookcases in order to climb underneath and check for books that may have slid underneath.

"Always the do-gooder."

Zell blinks and tries not to sneeze. Instead, he glares at the recognizable clunky black boots from his spot under his last bookcase. "Go away." He's uncomfortable; he can't deny it. But he didn't need Seifer's help. Not this time. He had wiggled in; he could wiggle out. "How'd you know I was down here anyhow?"

"Never mind that, Chickie. How long have you been down there?"

Zell's scowl at his newly acquired nickname stays hidden with him under the case. Apparently, Seifer thinks Zell's spikey hairstyle resembles the crown of a rooster. Why he doesn't just call him some offensive 'cock' name, Zell doesn't know. But he's thankful for small favors. "What do you care?" He watches Seifer's boots pace in front of him.

"Curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Zell snips quietly and goes back to rummaging through the landfill that resides under the bookcase. He wonders how so much crap had been able to sneak beneath the space between baseboard and floor.

"Is that a threat? Tsk tsk. There's detention in there somewhere, I'm sure."

_Stupid power-hungry stupid dickface_. "Go away," Zell repeats and decides to ignore any further antagonism from Seifer.

There's silence, and Zell almost begins to worry. Even though Seifer's silence is ultimately what he wants, he knows not to trust it. He checks for Seifer's boots, but they have disappeared from in front of him. Maybe the jerk had gotten the idea.

"If the last two times you managed to get stuck somewhere are any indication that you'll need help, I think I'll wait here and see how this plays out." Seifer's voice trails from behind him now. He takes a seat at the library's rear study desks, and props his boots on the wood. He flips through the pages of an abandoned _Timber Maniacs_. He considers taking a few odd jobs to save up and maybe go to Timber next summer. See what all the fuss is about. His crush on Zell isn't going anywhere. Maybe he could invite Zell to go with him... "So how long?" He asks again to take his mind off the subject.

"Dunno. Not too long." He adjusts his flashlight and reaches to collect a book in the corner farthest away from his grasp. He has to slide in farther to wrap his hands around it. "Why?"

"Curious."

Zell laughs. "Again? I already told you curiosity - - "

"Killed the cat," Seifer cuts him off. "Only you could be that cheesy."

"It's a common phrase!" Zell defends.

"Amongst chicken-wusses?"

Zell rolls his eyes. "Now _that's_ cheesy."

"Then it suits you just fine, doesn't it?"

Zell pouts into the dusty space he's occupying. Frankly, he's tired of Seifer's teasing. They have good days, days they'd meet up and go over notes or study guides. Days Seifer might even let Zell marvel over his gunblade. But some days it was as though someone flipped a switch, and Seifer would go back to being a bully. Bickering and teasing for the hell of it.

"Still there? The mold didn't kill you, did it?"

"There's no mold," Zell argues. "Just dust and trash."

"Have Kadowaki check for asthma later. How many do you have left?"

"Last one. Why? And if you say 'curious' again, I'm punching you in the face when I get out there."

"Another threat? You're ballsy today, huh?" Seifer laughs. "Raijin wanted me to ask you about lunch. But I'll tell him you're on your period and can't make it."

Zell ignores the jab and ponders on the invitation. He likes Raijin. He's funny and never has a stick up his ass like Seifer occasionally does. "Yeah, fine. Just let me..." He strains to collect his pile of junk he's collected in one swoop of his brush and dustpan. Successful, he pushes it out in front of the bookcase, through the open spot. The back of the bookcase offers a wider space, so he shifts onto his elbows to push his body backwards. But something isn't right. He adjusts and reshifts to try again. No. Still no luck. "Seifer?" Zell calls.

"Hm?"

"I think... I think I'm stuck." There's no way he'd been able to manage to get out from under three other cases, and now he couldn't get out from this one.

"What?"

"I can't get out." Zell lets a 'duh' remain implied.

Seifer tosses the magazine back to the desk and blinks at Zell's exposed legs. "You got in, you can get out." He stands and kicks at one of Zell's shoes.

"But..." Zell stops. _Is the space getting smaller? Am I going to run out of air? Will I die under this case? Oh god. Can'tbreathecan'tbreathecan'tbreathe_.

Seifer sighs and with a shake of his head, he bends to inspect the situation. "Your shirt is snagged."

"What?" Zell chokes against the growing fear that the case will ultimately collapse on him.

"Breathe, idiot. You're fine. Here. Hold still." With one easy tug, Seifer unhooks Zell's shirt from a rogue nail, attempting to ignore the brush of his knuckles against the skin Zell's hiked shirt had revealed for him. "Now c'mon."

Zell tries to catch his breath. "I can't."

"I unhooked your shirt. Just push back." He waits, but Zell doesn't budge. _One, two, three, four..._ Seifer counts the passing seconds. Finally, he heaves a great, burdened sigh and grabs Zell's ankles to pull him from under the case. "Breathe!"

Zell sputters on clean, dust-free air as he takes deep breaths to calm his nerves. "I'm alive!"

"Unfortunately. Lunch?"

~

4.

At sixteen, Zell is crazy about cars and engines and mechanics. He likes to fix things. Sometimes he even takes things apart just to put them back together. Unfortunately, he isn't technically allowed to take apart Garden's vehicles. He's not even quite yet certified to peer under their hoods, either. So... Sometimes he sneaks into the garage afterhours to get his hands greasy and appease his curiosity.

"Do I even want to know what you're doing in here?"

Zell frowns and wipes his forehead. In doing so, he's smudged a streak of engine grease along his skin. "Probably not." He looks into the expanse of the vehicle's engine bits in an attempt to ignore Seifer. The SUV in front of him is a poorly color coordinated blend of yellow and green. "What d'ya want anyway?"

"Got an alert that someone was here afterhours."

_Oh shit_. "Yeah, well..." Zell fumbles for an excuse. He'd snuck into the garage plenty of times afterhours. _New security measures_?

Seifer joins him near the hood of the vehicle and guesses as to what Zell is up to. "What are you doing?"

Zell shifts on his feet nervously, worried Seifer may snitch on him. Running in the halls was one thing, but defacing Garden property had to be more than just a detention. "Noticed this one was rattling when my team went out for field training earlier. Thought I'd have a look."

Seifer tries to ignore the smudge of grease against Zell's face. Some days they're friends. Other days Seifer deflects his crush with animosity. In the dimly lit garage, he doesn't know how to be. "What's wrong with it?"

Zell shrugs. "Dunno. Might be something in the transmission. Or the suspension. If it's the suspension, I'll have to jack it up. That's too noticeable. Thought I'd start here first."

He isn't a car person, so whatever Zell just said doesn't hold much value. "Fine. Just don't make a mess."

"You'll let me stay?" Caught between surprise and delight, Zell's features brighten with a wide grin.

"I'm staying to supervise."

Zell thinks this might put a damper on his work, but he figures company might not be too bad in the quiet creepiness of the garage. "Wanna help?"

Shaking his head, Seifer takes a step back. "And grease up my coat? Hell no."

With a shrug, Zell goes back to his work under the hood. "Suit yourself. Mind handin' me that wrench, though?"

"Um, no. What part of 'grease' and my desire to avoid it did you miss?"

Sometimes Zell thinks Seifer could use a swift punch to the jaw. But lately, aside from sparring, Zell has found Seifer might have too handsome of a face to go punching at. Keyword: _might_. They still argue, and it's usually almost always Seifer's fault. He just pushes Zell's buttons in a way no one else can. "You don't have to touch it. Just slide it over with your foot or something."

"No."

Zell glares. "Such a dick." He reaches a greasy hand into his bulky shorts and pulls an extra wrench from one of his many pockets. 

"Why didn't you just do that to begin with?"

"This one doesn't fit as well," Zell replies without taking his attention away from his current task. 

"Right." Seifer puts his hands in his pockets, bored. He doesn't know why he wants to stay. Other than to feel the electricity sizzling between them. Zell is more exciting than the girls Seifer occasionally takes out. They chatter on about things Seifer ultimately has no interest in. Though cars aren't much better, he admits, at least Zell is better on the eyes. Zell makes him _feel_. "Your tattoo is healing nicely."

Surprised, Zell nearly drops his wrench down into the blackhole of engine parts. Compliments don't come often from Seifer, if ever. "Thanks?"

He chuckles. "It still looks stupid. But you're welcome." 

_And there's the catch_. "Your face looks stupid."

His chuckle turns into a solid laugh. "That's the best you got?"

"The best I got involves pummeling the shit out of you in the Training Center."

"You think so? As I recall, our last spar didn't go so well for you." 

Zell doesn't look up from unloosening the nuts and bolts of the piece he's trying to retrieve from the under the hood. "'Cause you resorted to dirty tricks."

Seifer's surprised Zell caught on. His tricks aren't necessarily "dirty." Just smarter. Using his resources. "You're saying they give us magic, but I'm not allowed to practice it?"

"I'm sayin' you know I'm junctioned for Strength. If you want to practice your magic, practice with someone junctioned for Defense. Or someone with a higher Spirit status. Duh."

He kicks lamely at a rear tire of the car next to Zell's SUV. "That doesn't make any sense. When you get out in the real world, your enemies aren't going to ask you beforehand, 'Oh, hey, what are your stats? I'll be sure to go easy on the magic if you're not geared towards Defense and Spirit. No biggie.' I'm trying to help toughen you up."

Zell won't admit it, but he does have a point. Seifer's tactics are realistic, all things considered. Zell only considers them dirty because they generally fall outside the guidelines of approved training parameters. Hitting him with magic when he's already been knocked down. Combining a Water spell with a Thunder spell to add damage. "I don't need your help."

"Oh, right. You've learned everything you need to learn, and you're ready to graduate tomorrow."

"You're one to talk. How many times have you tried the final exam?" Zell knows it's a low blow, but Seifer talks a big game for someone who's considered a problem student.

Seifer kicks the tire again, this time with more force. "Who's resorting to dirty tricks now?"

Zell wiggles a chunk of machinery from the vehicle. He holds it up to the light to better examine it. "Whatever, man. I'm just sayin'." The greasy piece in his hands is bigger and heavier than he can manage, and he quickly begins to lose his grip. Before he knows what's happening, the engine part is slipping from his hands and hits the concrete floor with a thud. 

"Please don't tell me you just did what I think you did." 

Zell is blinking down at the mess of screws and metal on the floor. "Um."

Seifer squeezes the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. "Dincht, I swear to God..."

"It's okay! I can fix it!"

"I doubt it." Seifer tries to think of a way to fix the situation. He's been able to help Zell wiggle out of sticky situations before; this one can't be that much more difficult. "Don't touch it!" He exclaims right as Zell leans to retrieve the broken pieces. 

"It's fine. I'll just - - "

"No. You're going to make it worse. Just leave it."

"I can't just leave it!" Zell frowns. "The cameras - - "

"I'll delete the footage before anyone sees it. Whoever finds this mess won't know how to track down the person who did it."

"Say what?! You can do that?"

"I'm the one who's been deleting the footage of you sneaking in here, dumbass. How else did you think you were getting away with being in here afterhours all those other nights?"

"Oh." Zell contemplates this newfound information. He hadn't expected Seifer to be so... Thoughtful? Is that the right word? Sure, they're friends. Sometimes. Now he feels guilty about giving him a hard time about the field exam. "Hey, man, I'm sorry about - - "

"It's fine. C'mon."

Zell thinks he could kiss Seifer, right here, in the quiet solitude of the garage. But he's a mess, smudged with grease and oil. Seifer would probably bash his head against one of the cars if he even got close enough.

~

5.

At seventeen, Zell is one step away from being an official SeeD; he has his field exam in two days, but until then Xu has him doing stupid errand jobs that he can't necessarily say no to. She is Xu, afterall, and Zell strives to stay away from her bad side. 

For now, she's commissioned him to checking the refrigerant levels of Garden's air conditioning units. Summer is around the corner, and tempertures are scheduled to reach record highs. Zell knows there's a maintanence staff somewhere who's probably better suited for the task, but he doesn't mind helping. On top of that, he appreciates the handiwork. 

"Do I even want to know what you're doing down there?"

Zell has only been outside for a few minutes, only on the first quadrant of Side A. The humid heat of spring has already made him grumpy. "Xu." 

"Oh yeah." Seifer been hanging out with Zell enough the past few weeks or so that he knows Xu has had Zell working on menial tasks. Probably in an attempt to get him and his energy out of her hair until the field exam. "Need help?"

At this, Zell is caught off guard. Seifer never volunteers to help. Especially when it involves manual labor. He looks up from his spot on one of Garden's many protruding ledges. He has to shield his eyes against the sun with a hand and vaguely makes out Seifer's tall form on the balcony overhead. "What do you know about cooling systems?"

Seifer smirks down at him. "Not much. Can't be that difficult."

"Thought you had a date with that Rinoa girl." Zell hopes he doesn't sound as jealous as he feels. Seifer and Rinoa had met last summer, some time during Seifer's trip to Timber during vacation. He has no place to be jealous, really. He is still valiantly ignoring his potential feelings for Seifer, and Seifer hasn't really given any inclination that he might be gay. Zell supposes it's the fact that Rinoa has been comprimising Seifer's time even now, past last summer's vacation.

"Told her it was too close to the SeeD exam. Needed to study." 

"Then go study."

"I'm attempting to help you, moron."

"Not doing a very good job of it from up there." Zell wipes the first sign of sweat from his forehead with the shoulder of his shirt before setting to the task at hand. He removes the cover of the AC unit and begins tinkering with the parts until he finds the section he needs.

Seifer climbs down from the balcony via a maintanence ladder. "This isn't going to turn into a replay of last year's garage incident, is it?" He chides with a smirk. "I wouldn't know how to help you if you fucked this up."

"If you aren't going to help, you can just fuck off somewhere." 

"Don't be like that, Chicken-wuss. I'll help. What do you need?"

Anger at his nickname doesn't help Zell reply with an answer. His task is a one-person job, really. Fiddle around until he finds the refrigerant's container. Check it. Refill it if it needs refilled. Patch up any leaky pipes. "Just stand there and look pretty," Zell mutters, mostly into the box in front of him.

"I'm good at that," Seifer replies, having barely caught Zell's statement. The wind blows around them and swishes his coat. "I won't distract you, will I? With my charmingly good looks?" They've been playing this cat and mouse game for what has seemed like too long now. Hanging out. Training. Studying. Bickering. Pushing and pulling. Seifer likes that Zell is the first to flirt, even though Seifer doesn't think he was supposed to have caught it.

Zell's blush is bright against his cheeks. If anyone were to ask, he would blame it on the heat. "Shut up."

Seifer tilts his head back and laughs towards the sky. "I liked you better when you were complimenting me."

"Good thing you didn't get used to it, then."

"Oh, but I could. Give me another."

Zell is a pro when it comes to ignoring Seifer. His face doesn't do a good job of hiding it, though. So he's thankful that it's mostly hidden within the square of the AC unit. 

"C'mon, blabber mouth like yours? You've got more to say, I'm sure."

"Stand there and look pretty and keep your mouth shut. How's that?" 

"Pretty sure that doesn't count as a compliment, but I'll take it. How many of these do you have to check?"

"Four on this side, four on Side B." He pulls himself away from his current unit and finds his screwdriver to return the grated cover to its original place. 

"Wanna do a movie or something later?" Seifer goes for nonchalance and looks out over the plains of the island rather than looking straight at Zell.

"What, like a date?" Zell stands from his knees and brushes himself off. Their usual hanging out had never included something that could hold another meaning other than two guys just hanging out, doing friend stuff.

"You wish." 

"Thought you had to study." He picks up his toolbox and begins his ascension up the ladder to start his trek towards the next ledge. 

Seifer watches Zell's ass sway upwards. He blinks dumbly against the sun before following. "I lied," he admits once he's joined Zell.

Zell grins. "You lied to get out of a date with Rinoa... To hassle me?"

"Look, do you wanna go or not?" He's getting impatient and feels too vulnerable, despite Zell's previous flirting. If he could even call it that. 

"Geez, since you twisted my arm and all..." The grin hasn't left Zell's face as he steps closer towards Seifer, into his space. His blue eyes are bright, mischievious. He stands confidently on his tippy toes an leans in, catching Seifer's lips for a kiss. 

It takes a moment to register that Zell has been the one to make the first move _twice_. His mouth parts slightly, and Seifer feels Zell's tongue swipe gently along his lip. He pushes Zell against the wall next to the door. "What are you doing?" He asks stupidly. He's only pulled back so far, Zell holding the front of his shirt in one tight fist. Seifer has no choice but to breathe Zell in, to inhale Zell's exhales. He thinks he enjoys Zell's warmth too much.

"Kissin' you," Zell replies with a lazy grin, as though it's common knowledge. "Wanted to do that last year, in the garage. Figured you would have hit me."

"With all that grease? Hell yeah I would have hit you." Seifer feels the tickle of Zell's golden crest against his cheek and thinks that's one of the most innocently sexy things he's ever felt. 

Zell kisses Seifer again and lets the courage from his success add more heat. He nibbles gently and sucks Seifer's bottom lip into his mouth, presses himself against Seifer's figure.

"Ahem." Someone clears their throat in the doorway three feet away.

Seifer steps back, startled moreso than embarassed. He narrows his eyes at Xu. "What?"

"Just checking to make sure Zell has everything he needs for the repairs," says Xu calmly, as if she hadn't just walked outside to the current scene. "Apparently, he does."

"I, um, yeah." Zell swallows and steps away from the wall, towards the door. He's still holding his red toolbox in one hand and rubs nervously at the back of his neck with his other. The one that had been clutching so desperately to Seifer not one minute ago. "Sorry, I, uh..."

"I needn't remind either of you Garden's promiscuity rule," she says. 

Seifer tries to appease her for Zell's sake, "It was me. I cornered him out here where I knew he'd be alone." Never mind that neither of them were "promiscuous" in the least, and there were no rules being broken. Zell was usually too oblivious to know when someone liked him. And Seifer was usually too busy comparing people to Zell to even go out with them. Rinoa was a fluke, a distraction. But no one even knew about her. "If anyone should be punished, it's me."

Zell's skin is burning with embarassment and fear of getting some kind of demerit that interfers with him going on his field exam. 

"I appreciate your honesty, Seifer. Don't let it happen again. Sexual harassment is an offense that can and will lead to expulsion. Zell?" She turns to him. "Are you alright?"

He nods. "Yeah. Fine."

She gives Seifer a disapproving look, and Seifer rolls his eyes as soon as she's gone back inside.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have - - "

Seifer waves a dismissive hand and shrugs. "She already doesn't like me. No big deal. Go finish your chores. I'll wait until you can come play." He gives Zell a quick peck on the lips before leaving.

~

+1.

At eighteen, Zell is a war hero. He was on the team that defeated Ultimecia. The team that defeated Griever. The team that defeated Ultimecia and Griever combined. The team that defeated the ultimate sorceress, floating around in space. He had been strong enough to withstand all of them. Though it's a year later now, and crazy, time-hungry sorceresses are old news. 

Now he's an instructor. Stuffy lectures and not enough hands-on Combat Training days. He enjoys it, though. The bright faces excited to learn. Bright faces excited to be in the presence of Zell Dincht himself.

"C'mon, _Instructor_. Teach me something." Seifer's voice is playfully seductive, and his hands are leading Zell to the supply closet of his classroom. 

It's lunch hour, and everyone has scattered towards the cafeteria in hopes of winning a good place in line.

Most days he's bored with it. Other days, he has Seifer to help find ways to make it less boring. Maybe a dirty text for Zell to blush over as his students mull over their tests. Or a crude note on a posty note in his planner.

"Seifer," Zell pleads warningly. He isn't much of an exhibitionist, but Seifer can be convincing. With his neck nibbles and too teasing touches.

Seifer gets them into the small, dark supply closet and holds himself against Zell.

Zell is against the shelving structure, first aid supplies and miscellaneous teaching aids at his back. "You owe me food," he all but whines as Seifer's mouth works at his collarbone, exposed only because Seifer has nudged the collar of his shirt out of the way. Zell may be an instructor now, but he's still a teenager with horomones.

"I packed a lunch for you. Third drawer of your desk," Seifer replies without removing his warm lips from Zell's skin. He slides his hands around Zell, into the back of his pants to squeeze the firmness of his ass. 

"Won't tell anyone, _fuck_ , how thoughtful you really are." It doesn't take much for Zell to get hard; he and Seifer have been doing this long enough now that Seifer knows Zell's most sensitive spots and just how to tug at the soft hair at the nape of his neck. 

"Good." Now his hands have moved to the front of Zell's trousers, deftly working at the button and zipper. "You have no idea how much I want you."

Zell can only manage a pleased hum. One of Seifer's hands works at his erection, while the other firmly holds Zell's hip. He slides a thumb across the head, smearing pre-come, and Zell shivers, grasping tightly to Seifer's upper arm. Seifer's touch is addictive and electric against him.

Seifer takes his time dragging his fingers along the soft skin and eventually presses against the sensitive underside of Zell's cock. He spits into his palm and leans back in to nuzzle Zell's neck while he works his hand from base to tip.

His knees buckle and his head leans back to rest on the shelf behind him. "Seifer," Zell breathes, the name a mere plea for more. More contact, more friction, more heat. More anything other than this slow torture building behind in his balls.

Seifer pulls back, breathless himself. "Hold on. I'll be right back."

Zell, out of his mind with lust, blinks into the darkness. It takes him a moment to register his boyfriend's statement. "Huh? Now?"

"I want to fuck you, right here and right now. But I don't have any lube." He licks at Zell's ear.

But Zell won't be distracted. "No, no, no. You can't just leave me. Spit. Or there has to be something in one of these kits or - - "

"You're a big baby; spit isn't enough, remember? And the kits only have bandages and potions. Potions that should only be used externally. Read the warnings."

"But - - "

"Zell," Seifer says in his stern, authoritive voice. "Two minutes." He gives him a quick closed-mouth kiss before peeking out of the supply closet and leaving.

Zell heaves in a big breath and tries to steady his wobbly knees. He could just finish himself off, probably eat his packed lunch, and grade some papers. It was Seifer's fault, anyhow. His libido having decided for him, Zell presses his hand against his cock, reveling in the hot pressure. He tries to mimick Seifer's touch and pace. But the dry leather of his glove doesn't have the same effect. 

Thankfully, he's still hard when he hears the door begin to open. Seifer returns just in time.

"Zell?" Not Seifer. _Quistis?_

Zell freezes, hoping against hope he's cloaked in enough darkness that he'll remain hidden.

But then the door opens wider, and the light from his classroom is all too suddenly illuminating the small closet. Luckily, Zell is more than a little trained in stealth and barely has enough time to adjust himself into his pants. He quickly apprehends a first aid kit over his crotch to hide his straining erection.

"Zell, are you alright?" Quistis has a motherly face of concern, even in the shadows of the closet.

"Yeah," he croaks and then clears his throat. "Just checking my supplies."

"In the dark?"

"What? Oh yeah. Damn lightbulb needs replaced. Had the door open, to use the light from the classroom. But I guess its hinges are loose. Closed by itself just a sec ago," he says all in one breath, thankful that it's partly the truth. The lightbulb _does_ need replaced. He'd be mortified if Quistis had flipped the switch to reveal he'd lied. "Was there, um, something you needed?"

She clears her throat as though just now remembering her reason for being there. "Seifer texted me. He said you had called him because you were locked in your supply closet. He wanted to come, but he has a meeting with Squall he couldn't miss. Zell, are you sure you're alright? He warned that your claustrophobia might be resurfacing."

Zell's anger forms a tight knot in his throat. He'd been set up! _Stupidsonofabitch Seifer_. He's able to hold onto his wits without exploding in the small confines of the closet. His claustrophobia is a thing of the past, and Seifer knows that. He'd been through therapy not long after the war. Along with insomnia and night terrors, the therapist had been able to diminish Zell's fear of small spaces. He takes a deep breath. "Fine. I'm fine. Thank you for getting me out." With the angry realization, his erection had dissipated, and he slams the kit back onto the shelf. "I'll, uh, see you around, Quistis. Gotta take care of something before lunch is over."


End file.
